Drinking water vs. drinking tea

stacieduncan
stacieduncan Posts: 9
in Introduce Yourself
Does anybody know how much you can count drinking tea that you can go towards your water intake for the day? I'm getting burned out on water!! Thanks!
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Replies

  • Lindsey1985x
    Lindsey1985x Posts: 106 Member
    I so wanna know this!! When i drink water i can never manage 2 litres and i'm forever going to the loo! People at work will be thinking i have a tummy upset!!
  • aimeem2
    aimeem2 Posts: 35
    If you're making it with just water and tea bags, I don't see why it wouldn't be equivalent to just drinking plain water! Bottled iced tea is a different story.
  • MissLynne10
    MissLynne10 Posts: 64 Member
    I was told that tea can count entirely towards your water intake, but to not make it where you drink tea more than water.
  • mammakc
    mammakc Posts: 2
    great question! I would like to know also because I always feel like i am swimmimg.
  • bhankiii
    bhankiii Posts: 217 Member
    Water is water, whether its plain, in tea or coffee. The only problem with tea and coffee is that they make you eliminate water as well. I buy pure unsweetened juices and add a little to a glass of water to give it some flavor. I also like coconut water.
  • krisiepoo
    krisiepoo Posts: 710 Member
    For everyone who feels like they are swimming, tea is a diuretic so drinking more, theoretically, will make you have to go more too :)

    Why not use some crystal light or other flavorings in your water? Even adding some lemon really changes the flavor a lot.
  • davidwh79
    davidwh79 Posts: 11 Member
    I drink tea a lot, I mean more than water to be honest. I drink pure black tea, no sugar or any additives. It actually comes in 1 liter or 12oz glass bottles. It is100% natural and has 0 calories. I think that should constitute water consumption just as much as plain water.

    Anyone interested in my favorite tea can go to the link below.
  • lilbrowngirlsj
    lilbrowngirlsj Posts: 45 Member
    I heard that if it's green tea with nothing in it, it counts. Not sure about other kinds.
  • shari227
    shari227 Posts: 13 Member
    What I have always understood is that if the tea is decaf and has no calories it can count as water.
  • jsidel126
    jsidel126 Posts: 694 Member
    Any drink under 10 calories I consider water. More caloric drinks are logged as what they are. Most drinks I consume are in the water category
  • kris0211
    kris0211 Posts: 1
    I would agree not to drink more tea than water, but you can count it as water. I have been able to drink TONS more wather with the "water enhancers" from Wal-Mart. They are cheap, no calories and give my water that extra sweetness that makes it GREAT!!
  • IBetterShapeUp
    IBetterShapeUp Posts: 30
    With or without sugar? I gave up my homemade ice tea with sugar. Crystal light is my replacement. 0 calories. I can drink a quart no problem. Try it, you might like it, they even have appletini (nice with liquor), lemonade, all types of flavors.
  • davidwh79
    davidwh79 Posts: 11 Member
    Crystal Light is good, but it contains Aspartame and preservatives. I don't like artificial sweeteners and preservatives in my diet as much as possible. The sweeteners in particular cause me gastrointestinal problems.
  • stacieduncan
    stacieduncan Posts: 9
    Thanks for all the comments - wow, such great ideas too!!
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
    Be careful, some studies say tea is bad for your teeth. It can weaken and/or stain.

    Healthwise, though, tea is practically water.
  • schmoogie813
    schmoogie813 Posts: 16 Member
    One thing that I do is make a 9 oz. cup of green tea, after it steeps, I put it in my 24 oz water bottle and add water until it's full. Then I am getting my water intake with flavoring.
  • oh2lose
    oh2lose Posts: 2 Member
    A nutritionist with Anthem BC BS told me you can count tea or coffee as water, but be careful because caffeine depletes water from your body.
  • stacieduncan
    stacieduncan Posts: 9
    yeah, and I also heard that cafeinne makes you hungry.
  • rumpusparable
    rumpusparable Posts: 160
    Due to the level of caffeine and its diuretic effect, most teas cannot be used to replace water. For every cup of tea you should drink another cup of water to replace it's dehydrating effect. The only exceptions to this are decaf teas and white teas from the Fujian area. Their caffeine levels are low enough that the diuretic effect does not cause dehydration.
  • Jaxta65
    Jaxta65 Posts: 53 Member
    Due to the level of caffeine and its diuretic effect, most teas cannot be used to replace water. For every cup of tea you should drink another cup of water to replace it's dehydrating effect. The only exceptions to this are decaf teas and white teas from the Fujian area. Their caffeine levels are low enough that the diuretic effect does not cause dehydration.

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/5281046.stm

    Check this out, glad I found it because I love drinking tea
  • weefreemen
    weefreemen Posts: 652 Member
    Due to the level of caffeine and its diuretic effect, most teas cannot be used to replace water. For every cup of tea you should drink another cup of water to replace it's dehydrating effect. The only exceptions to this are decaf teas and white teas from the Fujian area. Their caffeine levels are low enough that the diuretic effect does not cause dehydration.

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/5281046.stm

    Check this out, glad I found it because I love drinking tea

    Brilliant article thanks for posting. I knew tea was good for you! :)
  • RainHoward
    RainHoward Posts: 1,599 Member
    For everyone who feels like they are swimming, tea is a diuretic so drinking more, theoretically, will make you have to go more too :)

    Why not use some crystal light or other flavorings in your water? Even adding some lemon really changes the flavor a lot.

    Not all tea has a diuretic effect. Tea is not the issue, the caffeine contained in some types of tea, if enough is consumed, can have a slight diuretic effect. Most herbal tea has no or very little caffeine in it. As with coffee it takes between 5 and 7 cups to experience any negative effect.

    So to answer the questions, it depends on what kind of tea you're talking about.
  • Joannie30
    Joannie30 Posts: 415 Member
    I only count tea/coffee if its caffeine free. The reason for this is because caffeine is a diuretic and therefore makes you LOSE water!
  • lovinmyselfagain
    lovinmyselfagain Posts: 307 Member
    I have 4 cups of green tea daily and I count it towards my water consumption. Green tea has polyphenols that aid in weight loss, among other health benefits. So there are several positives to drinking green tea besides hydration.
  • roachhaley
    roachhaley Posts: 978 Member
    tea and water are the same

    assuming unsweetened
  • msjessielynn
    msjessielynn Posts: 42 Member
    Ive heard ALL liquids count. But soda,tea, juices, etc also can add unnecessary calories. So im thinking, it all counts. I got the following from a website:



    Water is an obvious source for your daily fluid needs. Other good beverages include milk, herbal teas, low-sodium broth, or 100-percent fruit and vegetable juices. Soft drinks will also count toward your daily total of fluid, just remember that sugar sweetened soft drinks add extra calories to you daily diet that you don't need, while drinking water may help you lose weight.

    http://nutrition.about.com/library/blwatercalculator.htm

    the website also has a calculator to approximate how much you need a day.
  • pixish
    pixish Posts: 79 Member
    The constant going to the loo IS annoying, but if you continue it, it gets better. I find that if I don't keep up on my water intake (forget my water bottle a few days in a row) then I'll be peeing constantly, but after a few days it starts to regulate itself and I feel so much better for it. Not to mention, my skin looks amazing :)
  • TheDreadPirateRoberts
    TheDreadPirateRoberts Posts: 225 Member
    Can we PLEASE put this to rest?

    ALL tea and coffee counts!! Google it! Yes they are very MILD diuretics, but not so much that you lose anything significant. So YES, You can and SHOULD count tea and coffee. You should also count water in your food towards your 8 a day.

    You also need to realise that this "8 a day" figure was arbitary and is NOT a one size fits all. If you are in a cold climate doing sod all, then you dont need that much and if you are in a hot place exercising you need more (and salt). So, what you SHOULD do is drink when you are thirsty. You can also look at the colour of your urine. If it is light coloured (straw) then you are hydrated. If its not, then you are dehydrated (simplisic but true)

    Alcohol does NOT count towards your water intake as it screws up the loop of Henle's (part of the body that determines how much urine you should produce) actions and you end up urinating far more than you should as a conseqence (via inhibiting ADH).

    So, yes tea and coffee count as does water in your food. Alcohol doesn't. 8 glasses is an average that is not suitable for all. Google it for more information, because a lot of people on this site just go with information they hear from others rather than checking it.

    Example Link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/treatments/healthy_living/nutrition/healthy_caff.shtml
  • TheDreadPirateRoberts
    TheDreadPirateRoberts Posts: 225 Member
    Due to the level of caffeine and its diuretic effect, most teas cannot be used to replace water. For every cup of tea you should drink another cup of water to replace it's dehydrating effect. The only exceptions to this are decaf teas and white teas from the Fujian area. Their caffeine levels are low enough that the diuretic effect does not cause dehydration.

    This is just totally untrue.
  • sunshinecoffee
    sunshinecoffee Posts: 2
    heyy well i think green tea is great! it hydrates and taste good :3

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